Eight of the 10 former Florida Gators playing in the NBA during the 2012-13 season moved on to the playoffs. With the conference finals in the books, three of those eight remain alive as their teams compete for a chance at an NBA title. Below is a summary of how these Gators performed during the conference finals.

NOTES
» A former Gators basketball player is guaranteed to win an NBA title for the third-straight year and fifth time since 2000.
» Haslem and Miller are looking to repeat, and Haslem is going for his third career title (2006, 2012). Bonner is hoping to win his second NBA title (2007).
» Haslem’s 17 points in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals were not only a season-high but also the most he has scored in a single game since Nov. 11, 2010.

From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share – too much to fit into one of our truncated BITS segments. When stories like these fall through the cracks, we catch and wrap them all up with Gator Bites.

» Despite signing a National Letter of Intent in February and expecting to be a member of the Class of 2013, three-star defensive tackle Jarran Reed (Scooba, MS) will not be joining the Florida Gators this season. Reed was hoping to obtain his associate degree from East Mississippi Community College in one year but fell about 25 credits short. Instead, he will continue playing for EMCC in 2013 with hopes of completing his coursework and departing before the spring semester starts…though he may no longer be heading to Florida. According to The Gainesville Sun, Reed has decided to reopen his recruitment but does have the Gators at the top. “Florida is my favorite school,” he said. “But at the same time, I don’t want to close any doors just in case something crazy happens. I’d like to go on [official] visits. Who doesn’t want to take free trips?”

» South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier was honored Thursday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with the state of Florida’s Great Floridian Award, presented to him by Governor Rick Scott. Also in attendance were Gators head coach Will Muschamp and athletic director Jeremy Foley. Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow received the honor just one month ago. Check out the local news report by GTN’s Julie Quittner.

» Former Gators cheerleader Caroline Davidson, who concluded her run with the spirit program in 2010, had successful brain surgery to completely remove a tumor on Thursday. Her mother, Kimberly Davidson, posted on Facebook that Caroline was in ICU recovering after the surgery but all signs were positive.

Eight of the 10 former Florida Gators playing in the NBA during the 2012-13 season moved on to the playoffs. With the second round of action in the books, three of those eight remain alive as their teams compete for a chance at an NBA title. Below is a summary of how these Gators performed during the second round.

* Players names in orange have advanced to the conference championship round.

STARTERS (3)C JOAKIM NOAH, Chicago Bulls: GP/GS (5/5), MIN (38.4), PPG (9.8), RPG (9.2), APG (2.4), SPG (1.2), BPG (0.8) | FG% (.410), 3P% (.000), FT% (.850)
» Highlights: Two double-doubles – 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals (Game 1); 15 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, two steals (Game 3)
» Notes: Noah missed eight games in April with plantar fasciitis and should not be active during the playoffs. Instead, he helped propel the Bulls past the first round and led the team in rebounding in five of the 12 games in which he played.
» Playoffs: (5) Chicago fell to (1) Miami in five games.

F/C DAVID LEE, Golden State Warriors: GP/GS (4/0), MIN (8.8), PPG (5.0), RPG (3.3), APG (0.8), SPG (0.8), BPG (0.0) | FG% (.500), 3P% (.000), FT% (1.000)
» Highlights: Nine points, five rebounds, two assists (Game 6)
» Notes: Lee tore his right hip flexor during the first game of the playoffs and was ruled out for the postseason. He played sparingly as inspiration and motivation for his team.
» Playoffs: (6) Golden State fell to (2) San Antonio in six games.

1 » Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp told the media on Monday that four-star safety Marcell Harris (Orlando, FL) and JUCO transfer offensive tackle Trenton Brown (Milledgeville, GA) have both enrolled in Summer A classes and therefore officially joined the football program. Both players were originally planning to enroll early in January but were not able to amass the necessary credits in time. Harris, the No. 67 overall 2013 prospect according to Rivals and the son of former Florida S Mike Harris (1994-97), will compete for playing time right away as the Gators look to replace two starters in the defensive backfield. Brown will have some work to do to prove he is deserving of immediate playing time but is expected to play as a reserve this season.

2 » If he wants to, quarterback Tim Tebow will be able to play football in 2013. Whether that is in the NFL is another topic altogether. Tebow, who has already received offers from the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes (to compete for a back-up job) and the AFL’s Orlando Predators (to compete for a starting job), has also been reached out to by the AFL’s Philadelphia Soul. Team co-owner Ron Jaworski, a former NFL quarterback who now works primarily as an NFL analyst for ESPN, told the Philadelphia Daily News that he has offered Tebow a roster spot. “I still haven’t heard back from him and I’m not going to push it,” he said. “If he decides he wants to play Arena Football, we’ll make a spot for him.” Jaworski added that the role would not be as a starting quarterback; rather, he and the Soul’s coach sent Tebow a list of plays he would run for the team should he accept the contract offer.

From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share – too much to fit into one of our truncated BITS segments. When stories like these fall through the cracks, we catch and wrap them all up with Gator Bites.

» The relationship between Dwyer High School head coach Jack Daniels and the Florida Gators has soured. According to ESPN 106.3 out of West Palm Beach, FL, Daniels is angry that two former Dwyer players who committed to Florida but have since left the program (quarterback Jacoby Brissett and tight end Gerald Christian) did not get the opportunities they were promised with the team. “I’ve said all along, I don’t think he’s been given the fair shot which was said was going to happen,” Daniels said in regards to Brissett. “It was made clear to him, and to everybody else, that it didn’t matter what Jeff Driskel did, it was [Driskel’s] job and going into next fall, it’s going to be the same way. I think he had no choice. If I was quarterback on that team last year, I might have been able to get some wins, the way their defense was playing.” He continued: “The way Jacoby was handled and the decision that was made…if it was my kid, I wouldn’t expect anybody to treat my kid like that, and I don’t think anybody should treat anybody like that. I think it was a complete lie about how he was going to be given a fair chance and I don’t think there’s anything to dispute that there wasn’t a lie.”

Despite all of this – including similar comments about how Christian “was frustrated and felt like the coaches were lying to him” – Daniels (a Florida alumnus) said he will not dissuade his students from playing for the Gators. “I can’t hold a grudge forever and I still talk to Coach [Will] Muschamp,” he said. “I would never steer a kid away.”

» Former Florida wide receiver Stephen Alli was selected with the second pick in the sixth round of the 2013 CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers over the weekend. Alli, who would have been chosen higher had he committed to playing in the CFL next season, will instead attend graduate school and continue his education at UF.

» He may currently be a free agent hoping for the opportunity to continue his NFL career, but former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow received a shred of good news this week when Forbes named him the most influential athlete in the United States. “A unique set of QB strengths and weaknesses and an affinity for wearing his Christian faith on his sleeve combine to make Tebow a compelling public figure, even as an NFL backup,” staff member Tom Van Riper wrote.

Eight of the 10 former Florida Gators playing in the NBA during the 2012-13 season moved on to the playoffs. With the first round of action in the books, five of those eight remain alive as their teams compete for a chance at an NBA title. Below is a summary of how these Gators performed during the first round.

* Players names highlighted in orange have advanced to the second round.

PLAYER OF THE ROUNDC JOAKIM NOAH, Chicago Bulls: GP/GS (7/7), MIN (30.9), PPG (11.4), RPG (9.9), APG (2.3), SPG (0.6), BPG (3.1) | FG% (.450), 3P% (.000), FT% (.421)
» Highlights: Four double-doubles (one 20-10 game); game-highs of 24 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks (Game 7)
» Notes: Noah missed eight games in April with plantar fasciitis and should not be active during the playoffs. Instead, he led the Bulls to a big Game 7 victory and led the team in rebounding three times during the series.
» Playoffs: (5) Chicago beat (4) Brooklyn in seven games and advanced to face (1) Miami in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which begin on Monday.

Check out how the rest of the Gators in the NBA played in the first round…

1 » No. 1 Florida Gators gymnastics did not conclude its incredible weekend on Saturday after it won the 2013 NCAA Championship, the first NCAA title in program history. Instead, Florida was right back at it on Sunday as its gymnasts competed in individual events with the hopes of bringing additional championships back to Gainesville, FL. Freshman Bridget Sloan, who captured the 2013 NCAA Championship in the all-around on Friday, doubled up with a title in the balance beam (9.900) on Sunday. She actually would have won three individual championships had it not been for junior teammate Alaina Johnson, who edged Sloan 9.9125 to 9.900 in the uneven parallel bars to win a title of her own.

2 » Florida’s national championship-winning gymnastics team will be honored at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center during a special celebration on Monday at 7 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. and access to the event is free. The celebration will be the first held inside the O’Dome for a Gators championship-winning program since basketball won its second of back-to-back titles in 2007. GatorVision.tv will have a live stream of the event for fans outside of Gainesville. OGGOAwill tweet a link at 7 p.m.

The Florida school website on Monday posted a terrific feature on head coach Rhonda Faehn, who has been nothing short of spectacular since joining the program in 2002. Though the national title had been elusive for Faehn, she knew that the Gators could be one of the top programs in the country when she took the job. “It was a gold mine just waiting for success,” she told senior writer Scott Carter about Florida. “I felt there was so much potential. Who wouldn’t want to go there? It was undiscovered almost and people needed to see how amazing it was. That’s what I felt for years when I was coaching at other places, that Florida was just incredible.” Added athletic director Jeremy Foley about Fahen: “She built our program. When we hired her, the goal was we wanted to be like Alabama, we wanted to be like Georgia, we wanted to be like Utah, we didn’t understand why we couldn’t be like them. We wanted to be a factor. Look at what she has done. I feel great for her, her staff, and obviously these kids.”

With the 2012-13 NBA regular season concluding on Wednesday, 10 former Florida Gators basketball players spread over nine teams participated in the sixth month of action (16 total days), many of whom had an impact on their respective team’s performances.

For the first time, OGGOA is checking and re-checking the box scores month-by-month to bring you a summary of what all of these Gators accomplish throughout the entire 2012-13 season.

* Players names highlighted in orange have advanced to the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

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